As I set off to walk back to Keyhaven a Greenshank flew in and started feeding in the south west corner of the lagoon.
A I reached the Eight Acre Pond a small bird flew into the gorse and bramble. I waited and eventually it appeared, a female Dartford Warbler and showed very well in the sunshine.
A nice long tail.
The best shot of the set.
The water on the pond was dark in the sunshine, there were over a dozen Little Grebe and they were keeping away from this big unit, a Great Black-backed Gull.
Walking along the sea wall towards Salterns I was taken by the Black-tailed Godwits on the rocks in the bay, their winter plumage contrasting with the dark brown of the bladder wrack on the rocks
Rather than walk around the sea wall I crossed the marsh and joined the sea wall at the east end of the Pennington Marsh. Two Spoonbills, both immatures, probably the same two birds that had flown over me earlier on the walk, were feeding. With the wind blowing the feathers it made for a nice composition.
You watch and wait as the Spoonbill swings the head back and forth searching for food. AS the bill starts to rise its time to take the shot as it throws back the head to flick the prey into the throat. For once I have managed to catch the prey clearly, in this case a small fish.
Here you can just make out the eye of the fish just before it disappears down the throat.
Leaving the Spoonbill, I looked out on to the sea where a group of waders, again, some Grey Plover and Dunlin, but mostly Knot, were clinging on to a piece of shingle that was disappearing fast with the rising tide.
Walking over the Old Tip towards the car park there were Golden Plover on the marsh.
After some lunch I walked the Ancient Highway, and with the warm sunshine I half hoped to come a cross a Red Admiral, but I didn't. Coming around Iley Point there were four Marsh Harriers in the sky above the Efford Tip. Here three of the four.
As I walked along the sea wall at Keyhaven Lagoon, there was a Kingfisher using the bushes on the sea wall as a perch. I flushed one and watched it fly away from back to where I had come from. I tried to get in front of it but flushed it once again. As I walked on I then flushed another. This time it flew out over the sea water and hovered. This gave me the opportunity to get this.
It then flew to a bush behind me and in front of the falling sunshine which did not help the exposure.
I searched the pools around Keyhaven and Iley point for Snipe without any luck. On Fishtail however there was one enjoying the sunshine.
The Pintail were showing well on the Fishtail Lagoon, here a couple of pairs of Pintail together.
As I reached the steps down from the sea wall at Butts Bay a huge flock of Brent Geese took off from the direction of Efford and flew towards Fishtail, a sign that the daylight was becoming to an end.
And as I walked towards the Old Tip the skies to the west were signalling a change in the weather, storms were forecast over the weekend and the high blanket of cloud was edging nearer.
The Golden Plover were still on Pennington Marsh and this time all appeared to be together. I estimated 170 Golden Plover.
Nice to be able to get in a little closer to appreciate the detail of the golden plumage.
Then they all took off and circled around the marsh, the upper side.
Then the underside shining in the sunshine.
Coming back to land in the flooded patch on the marsh.
It was the day I had hoped for with plenty to keep the camera busy hence the two separate posts. The cold weather is on the way out and storms and heavy rain are forecast for the next two days. Hopefully this will be the shake up that we have hoped for this season and it brings something different.
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